Page 88 of Lonely Heart
“Yeah.”
“Ready for bed?”
“As soon as I can muster up the strength to get off this couch, I will be.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“What?”
I grinned at her. Then I flipped off the television and slid one arm beneath her knees as the other went behind her back. I stood from the couch with Ivy in my arms, looked down at her, and said, “It’s just like I told you that night in the hotel. Whenever you need me, you’ve got me. That hasn’t changed, Princess. It never will.”
Even through the exhaustion, Ivy’s eyes sparkled. “Take me to your bed, handsome.”
So, that’s what I did.
My legs carried me away from the couch and to the bedroom. And after I took care of Ivy, getting her settled, and locked up for the night, I climbed into bed with her, tucked her body close, and fell asleep feeling the warmth of the woman I loved beside me.
IVY - ONE MONTH LATER
Marco and I had gotten it wrong.
When it came to my family, especially Cooper, supporting us, we’d mistakenly assumed the worst.
And for the last month, they’d proven to us just how wrong we were. My parents had everyone over for dinner the weekend after we’d shared the news. Marco and I had been on several double dates with Cooper and Skye, Tate and Ava, and even Wyatt and Rhea. Liam and Jules remained as equally supportive—Liam doing it in his own quiet way, Jules being far more bubbly about it.
It took Marco and me a minute to adjust to it, though. We’d spent so much time at the start keeping ourselves restrained that it was an effort to act in front of my family the way we would have if we’d been alone.
But we eventually got there.
And now, we were here at my parents’ house again, celebrating my birthday. Feeling so content with where things were in my life, I’d opted for something smaller this year. Maybe that was a reason to celebrate in a bigger way, but it felt unnecessary to me.
I was finally content.
I no longer found myself standing in a crowded room, wondering how I could feel so alone.
I could look across the room, see Marco caught up in a discussion with someone else, and have him send a knowing look my way.
He’d just done that very thing. He’d been talking with Tate and Cooper when he glanced in my direction. His entire expression changed, his face lighting up. I jerked my head inthe opposite direction, turned, and walked away, knowing he’d come and find me.
I’d meandered into one of the formal sitting areas that was unoccupied, one that was rarely used, because I wanted to steal a quiet moment with him.
Sure enough, Marco didn’t keep me waiting.
He strode into the room and came right for me. After he slid his arms around my waist, he asked, “What does my birthday girl need?”
I threw my arms over his shoulders, lifted on my toes, and brushed my lips against his. “Just a minute to ask you a question.”
His hands drifted south toward my ass. “Mmm. And what is it you’re curious about?”
If there was one thing that hadn’t dulled, it was the spark between Marco and me. In fact, as everything else in our relationship seemed to have gotten even better, so did our intimacy. I might have teased him about it once before, but I was just as insatiable as he was. I couldn’t get enough of him.
“I was wondering how it feels,” I said.
He was hard between us and didn’t hesitate to press his hips forward. “You’re asking me that question? I think I should be asking you.”
Smiling, my lips still inches from his, I shook my head. “I’m not referring to that. I completely understand how that feels. What I want to know is how it feels to be you. How does it feel to be thirty, dating a woman who is still in her twenties for two more years?”
He chuckled, his hands squeezing my ass. “Oh, well, I think we both can agree I’m the lucky one here. But I think you’d be surprised by how much of that feeling for me has anything to do with your age. In fact, that has nothing to do with it.”